Great White ?s

[billyfrank]

Thanks for all the great info and links. Looks like I will have some good reading ahead of me.
Thanks again,
Billy

 

[gill-again]

give that lady a speargun and powerhead while hunting for food and I bet she would be alive today. Nature calls for the apex predator to stand up and be counted. If any of you think we came from the sea, then surely you don't think the sea can claim us back? That would be a reversal of a trend, wouldn't it?

 

[osujamesc]

Okay, so the recent victim was wearing a black wetsuit, that's what I often wear. She was also wearing fins, need those when I dive too. She was swimming near some seals, I saw one on my last dive, and I certainly know they hang out around the La Jolla area.
I know the odds are against a Shark Attack, I'm more likely to be bitten by a Garibaldi than a big shark, but what is the current idea for what to do if you are underwater when a white shark is present. I can't imagine the bubbles I'm blowing or my blue fins make me look like a seal, and I've seen pics like this one http://www.biganimals.com/gw_shark_g37.html and stories like this one http://www.nbc10.com/news/2432524/detail.html (I wouldn't eat a dude from Jersey either, prolly catch somethin nasty). So, my question is, planning ahead... what type of behavior should I exhibit if I encounter a great white (eye gouging? snout punching? grab some kelp and act like a sea monkey?), should I have anything special with me like a knife, or should I just buy some gear that is bright and shiney unlike a delicious seal? I figure, I know what to do to avoid being struck by lightning, I know how to try and win the lottery, I should know how to avoid being bitten by a GW!
Thanks for the links tankajava, the American Elasmobranch Society stats were of interest, but I would've like to have seen some statistics normalized to the dive population. Of course there are less attacks on people in green wetsuits, when was the last time you saw someone wearing a green wetsuit! haha. I especially liked the one that broke down the races of unprovoked attack victims. If you read that chart, you could interpret that Great Whites have become very racist, singling out caucasions over the last 40 years! hahaha. That's a lot of White on White Crime! hahaha. Enough of me.

duhhhh dum duuhhhhhh dum (Jaws theme?),
James

 

[PhotoTJ]

Paint "NOT A SEAL" on all your gear.

 

[zeN||]

Osujamesnc Simple-just don't forget to turn on your (futuristic) anti-shark pod, the GW will simply go after the other divers who frown upon using such an evil device, and if you're lucky, you might be able to salvage some really good dive equipment...... ~Z

 

[mcse_jacksonvil]

Definitely carry a knife, use it to cut your buddy in the event the GW gets too close, once your buddyhas been cut, swim like hell.

very cliche' I know, Could'nt resist.

 

[tankajava]

mcse_jacksonvil once bubbled...
Definitely carry a knife, use it to cut your buddy in the event the GW gets too close, once your buddyhas been cut, swim like hell.

The "tow a surfer behind you" defense works as well. Just be sure you have enough distance between you and your "catch".

tj